The Best Brother
by Blame the Doctor
Summary: Ron always thought he could never accomplish anything new or different that his brothers hadn't already done. Bill was Head Boy, Charlie was quidditch captain, Percy had the best grades, and Fred and George were the best pranksters anyone had ever seen. Little does Ron realize that his brothers consider him the best of them all.
1. Bill

Bill figured out that he wanted to be a curse breaker when he was at Hogwarts during his third year. Only a couple years ahead of him, he over-heard Derek Flint talking about something called a Horcrux. When he pestered the sixth year about the supposed cursed item, Flint handed him an old leather-bound book that seemed to explain everything about the mythology. On thinking back on it, Bill figures that Flint was more than likely trying to scare him than anything else. It wasn't like he was evil or anything, but that knowledge wasn't common. Not everyone knew about it and Flint probably had no idea just what he had passed onto the young red head. Bill doubts that Derek had even read the book.

Ever since that day, Bill swore he would prevent that kind of dark curse from happening or if it did happen, he would be the one to put an end to it. Through his courses after Hogwarts at Gringotts, he found that only a select few had even heard of the term and even less knew what it meant. It became his personal goal to research Horcruxes and become an expert in the topic. It wasn't long before his internship with Gringotts was over, and much to the chagrin of his mother, he started traveling to Egypt fighting to find any and all Horcruxes to put an end to the horror. He hoped he could find them all and then die with the knowledge on the items, how they were made, how to destroy them, and where to find them.

Still with all his researching and scouting, Bill couldn't find one. He encountered many cursed objects, yes, but none were Horcruxes. He was comforted by this because he felt that maybe he'd been worried over nothing. Maybe there were no Horcruxes and the cursed items didn't exist anymore. Besides, who with the knowledge of the History of Magic would be stupid enough to try splitting their souls in two anyways?

When Ron came home after the war at Hogwarts, Bill was shocked by his littlest brother's maturity. The poor kid had seemed to have lost his spark. For the most part he hid in his room or brooded in the living room just staring into the unlit fire place. No one really noticed him over George's mourning of Fred, but Bill saw. After all, Bill had practically raised Ron during the summers when his mom was too busy with the twins and baby Ginny.

"How about you come and stay with me and Fleur for a little while?" He said sitting next to Ron about a week after the events of Hogwarts.

"But...what about Harry and Hermione? I can't…I can't just leave them Bill. Not like this. Harry hasn't left his room in days and Hermione's down in Australia still. What if she comes back? How will she know where I've gone?" He said.

"How do you expect to take care of them Ron when you're not taking care of yourself?" Bill asked gently. It's not that he didn't also mourn the death of his brother or that he didn't want to be there for his mom, but he needed to get away. He needed to take some time to breathe before he'd be ready to face the rest of the family and their problems. "Look I'm not saying you should come and live with me for forever. Just come spend a weekend up at the cottage. There's no muggles around for miles. You can use my old broom and just fly for hours without worry."

Eventually Ron conceded and together the brothers took off, against Molly's protests, to the cottage and Fleur. The first day not much happened. Bill spent some much-needed time with his pregnant wife who opted out of the final battle to protect their innocent child. They hadn't even told the family yet because it was so early. Ron stayed out by the ocean. The next day was much the same and when Bill found him to bring him in for the dinner Fleur had cooked, he was almost scared to disturb him. For the first time in a long time, Ron finally looked somewhat peaceful. Slowly, Bill lowered himself next to his brother in the sand.

"I never meant to leave them. I don't think I ever would've left them if it hadn't been for that locket." Ron muttered.

"The locket?" Bill asked

"Yeah the dumb Horcrux. None of us realized just how much it was influencing us until it was too late. As soon as I got away from the damned thing I realized just how stupid I had been. I don't deserve their friendship Bill. I don't deserve their forgiveness. I left them to search alone and they had to wear the sodding thing for longer since I wasn't there to cover a shift." Ron put his head in his hands unaware of the shock covering Bill's face.

"Did…did you say a Horcrux?" Bill stuttered.

"Now that the whole thing is over and done with it probably doesn't have to be a secret anymore, yeah? Apparently, they're these cursed items that hold a piece of someone's soul. There's this whole process where they kill someone, perform some ceremony, and then split their soul and store it inside an object. Hermione's the expert, but Voldemort created seven of them and hid them all over the place. That's what we were doing this past year. We were looking for all the cursed objects he created and Merlin Bill, it was hard. We didn't even have to find all seven. Ginny and Harry took care of one her first year at Hogwarts without us even knowing!"

"The diary…" Bill breathed

"Yeah the diary was the first one destroyed. We don't think Malfoy knew what the diary actually was when he planted it on Ginny. The second one Dumbledore took care of for us and well, according to Harry, if Snape hadn't killed him, the curse on his hand from the ring would've. Then we found out about the locket. That was why we broke into the ministry. Everyone thought we were trying to raise moral but that old bag Umbridge was wearing it around her neck without even knowing the danger of the damned thing. Harry strayed from the plan and stole Moody's eye from her office blowing the whole operation wide open to the public."

Bill rubbed a hand down his face. Ron had spent most of the previous year searching for Horcruxes without knowing that his brother had spent his entire life searching for them, mastering Fiendfyre and keeping Basilick venom with him at all times just in case he encountered one. Merlin if he had known…

"After that we decided not to let the thing out of our sights and Hermione came up with a plan for us to wear it during shifts. We all became surly and no one really had control over emotions. Hermione would snap at us more, Harry became more withdrawn from us, and I…well you know how that worked out. By the time I was able to find them again, Harry was close to drowning in a lake. I dived in to save him and in doing so we found Gryffindor's sword. I almost failed Bill. The locket started talking and I couldn't shut it up. I almost couldn't do it and I almost killed Harry instead. I destroyed the thing though Bill and it was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I stabbed it right in its heart and it let out the most hideous scream I've ever heard.

"Harry forgave me right away, but Hermione took a while. She had every right to be furious. She should still be furious. Now that everything is over, I can't help but wonder if she's gone for good. Maybe she's going to stay down in Australia with her parents instead of coming back. She hasn't answered any of my letters you know? She probably thinks I'm going to leave again, and so she decided to leave first this time."

With that Ron stopped speaking and started blinking back tears he had probably been trying to hold back since that night with the locket. Without even thinking, Bill roughly pulled his youngest brother to his chest and held him like he used to when mom was too busy with Ginny. He felt Ron shudder as he finally allowed the tears to burst forth and soak Bill's sweater in silent sobs.

Bill had done loads of research on Horcruxes. The only information available on them were his own personal notes and the book in Dumbledore's office because as rare as the books were on the topic, Bill had burned each and every one in an effort to keep them from existence. For someone like Ron, who hadn't even finished school, to remain in continued presence of such an evil item…it was lucky that Ron was still around. It was lucky they still had Ginny. If Bill had known…gods things would've been so different. With a final sniffle Ron extracted himself from Bill's arms and tried to turn away to mask his embarrassment from his brother. Bill stopped him short by grabbing his shoulder.

"You said it yourself Ron. Hermione forgave you. She's probably just busy with the international apparition laws. Sometimes it can take a whole week for letters to reach a person on another continent. She might not have even received your letter. It's going to be ok. Trust me. Hermione's had a crush on your stupid face since the fourth year, do you really think she'd leave you for Australia?" Ron blinked a few times before he looked down bashfully.

"…fourth year…really?" he asked surprised.

"Yeah and you're one to talk. You've liked Hermione since your first year. Don't even try to deny it. I remember coming home from Egypt and all you could talk about was that 'annoying bookworm Hermione' and how she constantly nagged you and tried to get you to study more. No boy complains about a girl that much unless he likes her." Bill ruffled Ron's hair like he used to when Ron was barely old enough to walk. "Now come on. My wife has made a gorgeous meal and it's shocking she hasn't come down here to drag us both by the ears to the dinner table."

They both stood up brushing the sand from their pants and hiked up the hill towards the cottage where Fleur was waiting. As Bill followed his brother, he couldn't stop thinking about how his brother accomplished Bill's own life goal of eradicating the evilest curse from the world. Shaking his head, he marveled at how Ron ever could have considered himself less than any of his brothers. If anything, Ron was the best of all of them combined.


	2. Charlie

Charlie was into dragons before he could walk or so he's been told. Mrs. Weasley said that he was fascinated by fire and it was all she could do to stop him from reaching into the flames of the fireplace when he was young. The first time she took him flooing he was so delighted that Molly started taking him on all her errands just to hear his contagious giggle. The only time she could keep him indoors was with the pop up, magical, dragon kids book. He always slept with the same stuffed dragon, and when Mr. Weasley charmed the wallpaper in his room to have dragons dancing and breathing fire, well, Charlie spent hours watching the pictures.

As Charlie went through his years at Hogwarts he showed incredible aptitude in Care of Magical Creatures. Often Professor Kettleburn called on him to help out after class in taking care of the different creatures. As much as Charlie loved the Hippogriffs and the fire crabs, the flobberworms and the nifflers, the unicorns and the thestrals, he always maintained his soft spot for dragons. Before he decided to pursue his dream of working with the magical beasts, he decided to look into other magical careers per Molly's advice. That was how he found himself in a tour of Gringotts with Bill one afternoon.

"So, these are the lower levels of Gringotts. This is where the highest security vaults are, so you got the Malfoy's over there and the Blacks over there.." Bill said pointing to each door. He didn't notice the horror-struck expression on Charlie's face until he turned around to see what Charlie thought of all the complex traps and locks the goblins; security team created over the years. "Charlie…what's wrong?" Bill asked.

"Bill…" and slowly Charlie lifted his wand to point towards a dark shape in the shadows of the corridor the brothers were walking down. The lumos displayed an old, scarred, blind dragon chained to the wall. The decrepit lizard was fast asleep, but it was clear the amount of abuse it suffered. Scars lined its scales. Open wounds bled profusely around the chains showing the dragon's daily struggle. Its wrists and joints were chafed raw. Its eyelids were slashed showing how they must've blinded the poor beast, and though it slumbered, it wasn't a peaceful sleep for the dragon thrashed and cried out.

Bill looked on forlornly, but he wasn't surprised. Though every time he ventured down to the lower vaults another new trap or obstacle revealed itself, he had seen the dragon before. At first, his response was similar to Charlie's, but the goblins had just laughed. They were masters of manipulation and though it made them perfect bankers, there were always drawbacks. The cruelty towards the beast was one of them. Bill had pursued every type of law and mandate to try and prove to the goblins that the dragon's imprisonment was abuse. Unfortunately, the wizarding world didn't have many laws protecting magical creatures, and all his efforts just pissed off the goblins employing him. After a while Bill had to stop his prodding otherwise he risked losing his job.

"I know Charlie, I've already tried everything to free him but…well we have a very tentative peace with the goblins. If we tried anything too drastic it could mean war. There's a reason why Binns spent so long on the goblin rebellions. They were serious business. If we do anything to disrupt that peace…goblins have long memories Charlie, it won't be long before another war brews and it's not certain that we could win considering they control all our wealth. Please just…leave it for now. I promise if you find a way to free him, I'll help you."

"But Bill…he's in pain. He's having nightmares. I…I could help him! He needs open fields and freedom and and…"

"I know. I know Charlie" Bill put his hand on Charlie's shoulder and slowly turned him away from the horrible sight. His brother's eyes were filled with tears and that sight almost made Bill throw all caution to the wind to help his brother free this dragon. "And I promise. I promise if there is anything we can do to free the him I'll help you. I will! We'll do this together ok? But we're going to do this my way. No one will get hurt and we'll do everything we can legally so that we don't start another war ok?" Charlie took one more look back at the chained prisoner and slowly nodded his head allowing Bill to lead him out of the corridor.

"I'm going to help him." Charlie said firmly. "Maybe it will take going to somewhere like Romania to figure something out, but I'll do it. There's no good reason for that poor thing to be cooped up down here. I don't care how much time it takes, he's going to be freed."

Charlie, of course, continued following his dragon passion. He excelled at Care for Magical Creatures and Herbology, so it wasn't hard for him to get into the business. After a little extra work and help from Professor Kettleburn he worked his way into the Dragon Reserves program in Romania. As he went, Bill followed through on his promise and provided Charlie with all the laws and information he could find on magical creatures. It was slow progress, but they were going somewhere, and both knew it. Though if might take years they at least had some ideas on how to proceed to submitting a complaint to the ministry. The problem was convincing the goblin people to release one of their most effective protective assets.

It was about a year after the war that the whole family was sitting around the kitchen table. It was one of those rare moments where Bill and Charlie had the same leave time from their demanding jobs in Egypt and Romania respectively. Ron and Harry had a day off from auror training and Percy took the evening off from his job in the ministry. Even Ginny promised to apparate home from Harpies training to be with family. Of course, George always had evenings off from the shop, so they were all gathered at The Burrow for a rare family dinner. Molly was tickled her whole family was present for dinner and spent most of the day in the kitchen in preparation with Fleur and Hermione's help.

After dinner when everything was cleared away, the family still sat around talking as they were wont to do now they were all adults. Even Ginny couldn't remember a family dinner since she started Hogwarts where they didn't sit at the table long after the food had been put away and the dishes cleaned off. Arthur held a mug of after dinner coffee in his hands and Molly stirred her cup of tea. They both shared knowing happy looks as they observed their big family sharing funny stories, loudly bickering across the table, and affectionately teasing each other.

"Wait George you have to be kidding me." Ginny said full of giggles. "He really decided to go for it? He wanted a test of your Skiving Snackboxes on himself in the store? As if he hadn't seen the results before in the classroom." George himself could barely respond due to the laughter bubbling out of him.

"Yeah. I…" George gasped trying to get a hold of himself to finish the story. "I got him a bucket of course. And once I gave him a Puking Pastille he hurled right into it. The best part was when everything was over and done with, he ended up buying six boxes with the comment 'These will work great for those drab family reunions.' And off he went. Can you imagine? Slughorn with six different boxes of Snackboxes?" And the whole family burst into laughter again.

The stories continued to Charlie telling one about how his friend Brenden got burned right on the bottom by a nesting Herbridean Black Dragon by turning at just the wrong moment to grab a bag of seed. Which lead to Hermione telling the horrendous dragon affair of first year finally able to laugh at poor Hagrid raising a dragon in a wooden home. Then on the same topic of dragons Ron started the story of the break in at Gringotts.

"I know we haven't really told you all of all our adventures last year because none of us are quite ready to share. This one though I think we can part with. We found out that Voldemort was keeping something hidden in Gringotts and we knew that we needed to break in to get it since it was in the LeStrange vault. Through some happenstance that I shan't go into, we got one of Bellatrix's hairs and Hermione polyjuiced her way into the vault while I went as Dragomir Despard and Harry and Griphook were under the invisibility cloak. Anyways we get down there and, of course, we hadn't really planned all that well considering its Gringotts, and so of course, things start going sideways because it's us."

"I blame Harry." Hermione said chiming in.

"Me! Who touched the gold in the vault? That's when things started going to shite!" Harry retorted.

"Language dear." Mrs. Weasly said from across the table

"ANYWAY," Ron said resuming the spotlight. "We're running out of the vault getting chased by goblins when we see the dragon that we saw on our way down. Harry here has the brilliant idea of setting it loose—"

"Wait! You're not talking about the Ukrainian Humpback are you?" Bill cut in putting his hand on Charlie's chest to quiet the excitement ready to leap from his lips.

"Yes. So there we are and Harry just yells 'Come on' and before you know it me and Hermione are clinging for dear life onto a blind dragon that's flying towards a solid ceiling. Before I could even scream, the daft thing broke through into the lobby of Gringotts and then we were bursting through that glass ceiling and soaring over Diagon Ally."

"If you remember Ron, the dragon was actually my idea. You and Harry were just sitting there helplessly trying to dodge goblin magic before I decided to do something about it." Hermione said.

"Are you kidding? It was totally Harry! I remember it quite well!" Ron argued. They started their infamous bickering while Harry just looked on fondly at his two best friends. Ginny leaned over and gave him a peck on the cheek as he put his arm around her. He still made no move to stop the arguing couple and instead chose to watch from afar. George launched into another one of his fantastic tales of a rude customer in the joke shop to the active audience of Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

Meanwhile, Charlie and Bill sat at the end of the table flabbergasted.

"This whole time…all our planning…the test run at Hogwarts with Hagrid's dragon…" Charlie said amazed.

"First the horcruxes and now this? What hasn't Ron done?" Bill answered almost unaware of Charlies musings. Turning to his brother, Bill continued, "Well I guess we can contact the Hatch a Dragon Squad and tell them the heist is off for next week?"

"Well yeah…there's no dragon anymore. What are we going to free down there? A Sphinx?"

"I mean that's probably what the goblins replaced the dragon with anyways. They did import a bunch of new ones last week. I had assumed it was for the new level, but this makes a lot more sense. Besides at least now the Sphinxes are doing what they love for a good cause."

"Ron…damn. He freed the dragon almost by accident!" Charlie said.

"Dude you should hear what happened on the rest of the journey…sometimes…sometimes I think they finally got it right with Ron, you know? He's kind of the best of all of us in one person." Both brothers looked fondly on the youngest male Weasley still arguing with his girlfriend at the other end of the table unaware of the affection coming from his two oldest brothers.


	3. Percy

All Percy ever wanted was change. He wanted to change the way Charlie treated his clothing, the way Bill never used his influence over all of them as the oldest, and he wanted to change the way the twins had fun. Prank after prank after prank, still they never tired of Percy's discomfort and embarrassment. Sometimes Percy felt that no one appreciated his ideas for the bettering of the family.

When he entered Hogwarts, he noticed immediately the problems surrounding the school. One of the first complaints he ever made was about the Forbidden Forest. If students were not allowed to venture there, shouldn't there be some sort of magical barrier that separated the populous from entering? Some sort of magical gate? He then went on to talk about Peeves. How were the students of Hogwarts expected to succeed in their studies if a poltergeist constantly assailed them while trying to get to class? He sent letters to governors and constantly bugged his prefects asking them for advice on ways to make Hogwarts even better.

The career program he attended during his fifth year really influenced his decision to work for the ministry. The magical booths set up were overwhelming at first. So much information to obtain and to try to choose just one occupation seemed ridiculous. Still he traveled around the room quietly observing each booth until he happened upon the one for the Ministry. While not very glamorous, it promoted hard work and slow successes. It seemed to encompass everything Percy stood for and wanted to fight for. After all, the biggest changes in society he believed came from the government and leaders.

"So you're thinking of working for the Ministry?" The older attendant manning the booth asked.

"Well…my father works there already, and I don't particularly want to do what he's doing." The attendant looked Percy up and down. Percy blushed knowing the attendant would come to the same conclusion everyone did upon seeing the ginger hair and freckles.

"Arthur does great work in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts, but that doesn't quite fit you, does it?" She said looking at him curiously. "Give me a second to look for something." With a wave of her wand, the attendant levitated a stack papers out of her briefcase and quickly began skimming them before discarding them entirely. Soon the floor was covered in white like some sort of odd snow.

"Aha! Here it is." Smiling with triumph she passed an official looking piece of parchment over to the amused Percy.

"An intern program?" Percy asked.

"Yep! It's for people fresh out of Hogwarts and other magical schools who want to work in the Ministry, but don't have any sort of idea what department they want to specialize in. Cornelius Fudge himself started out in the intern program. It's a great starting point and will give you good connections throughout the departments that you might utilize later. Applications are due at the end of your sixth year. There's a challenging vetting process since we usually only take about fifteen students max per year. You can read more about it on that parchment."

"This…this is fantastic! It's everything I could've hoped for!" Looking up with shining eyes of excitement Percy put out his hand to shake hers.

"I hope you get in! That prefect badge will do a good amount of work for you. If you get Head, you'll be a shoe in. Just keep working on your studies and they'll pay off." She said with a warm smile.

Passing all his Newts enabled Percy admittance into that very program. His first assignment was to Bartemius Crouch. Percy felt he had found a mentor. Crouch represented everything Percy aspired to be and more. He was a staunch rule follower and enforcer, the leader of his department for many years, and also had many many connections in the Ministry with other department heads. He didn't care if Crouch decided to call him Late for Dinner—at least Weatherby was close to the actual thing—he strived to be the best possible intern Crouch could ask for. With the Triwizard Tournament starting, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement was filled with opportunities ripe for the taking. Though Crouch was a grouch, he was fair in Percy's eyes. Not long after the tournament began, Percy was promoted to personal assistant.

When Crouch started missing work, Percy became worried. At first, he wondered if something more serious was going on with the man. He went to talk to the coordinator of the intern program to ask for help but only met casual reassurances.

"Weasley we put you with Crouch for a reason. He's a hardass. He's tough and rude and probably one of the best you could learn from. I don't think the man's missed a day of work in the fifteen years he's been running the department. I'd take the fact that he's taking a few days to get better as a compliment. Obviously, he feels comfortable leaving the department in your capable hands."

"Yes sir, but just like you said, Crouch hasn't missed a day in the whole time he's been running the department. Shouldn't we check in on him? Make sure everything is ok?" Percy needled.

"Look kid, Crouch leads a very private life. No one actually knows exactly where he lives and if they did, no one would check up on him. Everything is probably fine. You're still getting correspondence from him on what needs to get done right?" Percy nodded. "Then stop worrying and take this as an opportunity to learn. That's what this program is about anyway."

Percy tried. He did everything Crouch requested in his letters flown in by owls daily and more. He tried to run the department similar to how Crouch had. With the Triwizard tournament things got a little fuzzy, but Percy did his best. With Crouch's mysterious appearance and disappearance, Percy underwent investigation that lasted through the conclusion of the Third Task.

Disaster followed. Percy thought his career was at an end. If it hadn't been for Fudge, Percy didn't know what he would've done. He assumed that Fudge had just reviewed all of his efforts of the past year and decided to take Percy on as his own personal junior assistant. Delighted, Percy raced home to tell his family everything. It was the second chance he didn't deserve.

"And after that I was taken right up to the Minister's office and I signed the contract. You're looking at the new junior assistant to the Minister of Magic!" Percy announced. Instead of the shared joy he expected, his parents looked weary and worried.

"Percy dear—" Molly started and then paused as if she didn't quite know how to continue. Arthur laid a hand on his wife's tightly folded ones and continued.

"Have you considered every aspect of this job Percy and what it means for this family?" Arthur asked patiently. Percy's brow furrowed. They didn't seem to understand.

"What's there to consider? My career was in shambles, my plans were in ruins after Crouch. The Minister graciously accepted me back and gave me a position I could've only dreamed of. I'm only two years out of Hogwarts, dad. Most junior assistants are five to eight years past their graduation. There's so many opportunities in front of me now that were never there before!" Percy said

"But son, what of Fudge's blindness to the upcoming war? What of Harry and You-Know-Who? Do you really wish to work for someone so willfully ignorant of the coming struggle?" Arthur asked gently. Slowly Percy's face morphed from elation to fury.

"Of course. I should've seen this coming. You're siding with Dumbledore again. When will you two realize that the man isn't everything he's cracked up to be. He's not some messiah. Harry experienced shock during the maze, yes. It probably brought back some suppressed memories regarding his parents' deaths. Voldemort actually returning from the dead though? That's completely impossible. I'm happy honestly I'm working for someone who's intelligent enough to disregard the hallucinations of a fourteen-year-old boy." Percy scoffed.

"How _dare_ you." Arthur said dangerously quiet. "I cannot believe you are discrediting all Harry has suffered." He said rising in volume. "That boy is saner than you are considering your choices of late. Dumbledore is _smart_ to believe him and a truer leader than Fudge ever was or ever will be. He's preparing for a war we all knew was brewing ever since Harry stepped foot into the magical world. Fudge is blind to the dangers of the Death Eaters surrounding him and deaf to the warnings of You-Know-Who's inevitable return. Do not think for a second that I'm proud of you working for such a corrupt man who does not once think of the greater good of the magical people and rather spends his time furthering his own career."

"I can't believe you believe Dumbledore!" Percy countered. "After all the mistakes the man has made and continues to make running that school? I wasn't going to tell you this since you all are so close with the man, but Dumbledore's heading for deep trouble. I wouldn't want to be caught in any association with him, but you might as well be lying in bed with him!"

"Percy!" Molly gasped

"If you two are going to become traitors to your own society then I know where my loyalty lies. It's with the Ministry and the true greater good for society not some raving lunatic of a boy that should be in St. Mungos and an old dodgy man so blind to the boy's trauma that he believes this hallucination. If you want to follow Dumbledore, then fine! I want nothing to do with it! I'll leave right now and make sure everyone knows that while I carry your name I have no affiliation to our family. I refuse to live with people who remain willfully ignorant to truth!" Deaf to his mother's cries and his father's pleas for reason, Percy packed up his room with the flick of his wand and stormed out of the Burrow.

Voldemort's take-over of the Ministry changed everything.

Percy did all he could to keep eyes off his family. Though he had denounced them before, he knew just how blinded by ambition he had been. It was everything he could do to keep the eyes of Umbridge off of his family. He set up operation after operation outside of the law to try and protect the muggleborns. He mourned the loss of Penelope when he failed to rescue her, and she was taken off to Askaban. His work to prevent any arrests of his family assuaged his guilt, and when the call to battle came, he didn't hesitate to answer this time.

During the mass memorial service for those lost during the war, Percy casually looked over towards Ron. His younger brother was sobbing into Hermione's shoulder without abandon while Harry maintained the same stony, guilt-ridden, expression he had carried since the battle. Ginny was trying vainly to hide the tears that threatened to fall. George was no-where to be seen. Bill and Charlie leaned on each other like they always had. It was Percy on the outskirts once again.

He never felt like he fit in with his brothers. I wasn't their fault and it wasn't Percy's fault, but he had always been different. In light of his overwhelming guilt, Percy couldn't begrudge the others for not trusting him or leaning on him. Percy himself felt like he didn't deserve to even be at the service. Had it not been for Molly's insistence that Fred would've wanted him there, Percy would still be hiding in his room alternating between sleeping and staring at the blank wall across from his bed.

He was envious of Ron's ability to express his emotions so clearly and without holding anything back. Ron was always so open with his feelings. Percy never had to guess what was going on in Ron's head because it was all displayed on his face. Percy wished he could be like him.

When Ron first told Percy of his friendship with Harry Potter, Percy almost had a heart attack. Though he was not smitten with the young boy like Ginny, nor did he hero worship him like eleven-year-old Ron, Percy knew Harry had the power to change the world. Through Harry, Percy had hoped to be a sort of mentor. He hoped to endear Harry to him so that when he finally entered the world after Hogwarts, he would remember Percy and together they would change the wizarding world.

Harry hadn't been perceptive to Percy's administrations though Percy never gave up. Percy looked at Ron again. His brother, while at first completely enamored with the idea of being the best friend of a hero, worked his hardest at providing Harry with an honest, solid, friendship and family as the hero worship died down. Without those, Harry would've never been able to defeat Voldemort.

Pondering these things, Percy came to the same conclusion his other brothers had: they had finally gotten something right with Ron. Ron was loyal beyond all measure, honest to a fault, and kind. He was nurturing, though he would never admit it, especially to a lost, disheveled, boy who knew nothing of his heritage. Through just his friendship with Harry, Ron had managed to recreate the world around them into something new and beautiful. Reconstruction would take years and years, but Ron, and Hermione had begun the process with assisting Harry's obliteration of Voldemort. Ron had accomplished what Percy had always strived for, creating a better world.

As the people around him continued to cry for their losses, including Ron, Percy only had one thought,

"Ron truly is the best of all of us."


	4. Fred

Fred Weasley didn't often fully think through his choices. Most of the time he did things without thinking everything precisely through. It's why it was always good to have George around. When they were split bad things tended to happen. One time, Fred gave Ron an acid pop that burned through his tongue as a joke when George wasn't around to stop him. It wasn't too long after the spider incident and, well…Fred was severely punished for his younger brother's pain.

Ron was just such an easy target. He was similar to Percy in how openly and dramatically he reacted to their jokes that Fred just couldn't resist. What made Ron far more likeable than Percy though was that while Ron's anger was fearful and hot like their mum, it never lasted more than a few days, and he would be back to playing quidditch with them within the week. Percy held the grudge for forever.

Yet what bugged Fred the most about Ron, was that he always somehow got into the most chaotic, most mischievous, most interesting situations that Fred dreamed of causing. Always, without fail, Ron somehow managed to bumble his way out of those situations almost completely by accident. It was a level of mischief that Fred always aspired to reach.

There was a moment, Fred remembers, when they were all children. Arthur had managed to score the family tickets to a Cannons game. None of them were very excited about it, (it was the _Cannons_ ) but five-year-old Ron was ecstatic. It was his first real quidditch game. At some point during the chaos of the Weasleys trying to find their seats in the crowded stadium, they all lost track of Ron. Fred remembers seeing a flash of ginger hair dart away from the group and sprint towards who knows what, but he couldn't be sure as the entire crowd was wearing orange. It was probably the first and last time picking out the familiar family hair in a crowd was near impossible. Their ginger hair just blended right in. As Fred and George were only seven at the time, they weren't allowed to go out and help search. Instead Bill and Charlie got to help search for Ron with Arthur. However, Fred was the first one who actually found Ron that day.

Ron had performed his first bit of accidental magic. In his excitement for the quidditch game, Ron had somehow managed to appear right in the center of the pitch. His small body was quivering with excitement as the players circled around him in the air. The keeper of the team slowly drifted to the ground and casually lifted Ron into his arm. Though no one could hear what the wizard said to the small five-year-old dressed entirely in orange from his hair to his socks, they all witnessed the small grin on the keeper's face as he lifted Ron onto his broomstick and flew around the pitch a couple of times.

Fred was eager to point out everything to George. Together they watched enviously as Ron was thrown from player to player like a quaffle laughing the entire time. The announcer for the game then cast the sonorous charm and just like that the secret was out.

"Looks like the Cannons are replacing the quaffle this evening with their biggest fan. Look the boy's hair even matches the uniforms ladies and gentlemen!" Casually gliding down on his own broom to the pitch, he took Ron from the arms of the head chaser.

"What's your name son?" the announcer asked kindly.

"Ronald Billus Weasley! It's my first quidditch match ever sir!" Ron said excitedly. His smile was so wide Fred wondered if his cheeks were tired.

"Well Ronald Billus Weasley, I think I know who your father is and just how we can get you back to them. How about after the match you come down to the locker rooms and get you a signed quaffle from the game?"

"Oh yes sir! I would love that!"

"Let's get you back to your family first Ron and we'll see about everything after the match." Smiling the announcer flew gently back to the stands easily spotting a worried sick Molly and brood.

From that moment on Ron became the most dedicated Cannon's fan Fred had ever seen. Still somehow Ron seemed to attract some sort of trouble wherever he went. It was no surprise then when Ron managed to befriend a boy who had been in all sorts of trouble from his very first year of life.

At first, Fred wondered if the small boy with the peculiar glasses would actually keep Ron out of mischief. He was the chosen one and all that jazz. Voldemort was long gone. It wasn't too far of a stretch to think that maybe Harry would stop Ron's series of unfortunate events. Halloween changed that perception and Fred once again found himself almost jealous of Ron's knack of getting into, and out of, sticky situations.

Still there was one instance of mischief that Ron had yet to enter that Fred had always wanted to try. Crazy as it was, Fred always wanted to break into Gringotts. He didn't really want to steal anything, but to be given the chance to match his wits against all the tricks and pranks of goblins…it was the ultimate test of a prankster and mischief maker. George, however, wouldn't go for it no matter how many different ways Fred tried to present it.

"We could Polyjuice our way in as mum and dad! They'll never know because we have the family blood. I bet we could get right down into the vaults, ditch our goblin guide, and explore the depths!"

"Or we could just ask dad to take us down there with him one of these days. I don't understand your fascination with wanting to break in Fred. It's suicide." George countered rolling his eyes.

"The challenge my dear brother, the challenge! We'd be the stuff of legends! No one would be able to stop us! Besides, we could probably find really cool ideas for the joke shop down there. Stuff we couldn't have possibly imagined!"

"And stuff we probably will never be able to make because we're not goblins Fred. Give it up. If you want to break into Gringotts and risk death, then you do this alone. Gringotts is serious business Fred." George said though he smiled indulgently at his crazy twin. With a resigned sigh, Fred flopped back down on the other bed.

"Fine. You know I wouldn't pull something that big without you. You win. Gringotts remains the treasure forever just out of reach."

 _Of course, Ron would be the one to actually find himself breaking into Gringotts. It's just the type of mischief he always is blessed with_. Fred thought laughing as he heard the news. Running the radio show gave the brothers the opportunity to check on their youngest brother and hopefully provide aid when the time came. When the call for battle came from Neville at Hogwarts, the news was just breaking about the trio's break-in of the highest security wizarding bank in the world. Fred didn't have much time to ponder about it, but he definitely didn't miss George's bewildered look.

When they arrived at Hogwarts, there wasn't time to demand answers from Ron. He looked a terrible, stressed, mess but happy nonetheless. Fred was reminded keenly of the five-year-old proudly clutching the signed quaffle to his chest. All he could do was smile at his younger brother. Of course Ron would be able to break into Gringotts. Of course he'd do the mischief Fred always wanted to perform. Ron was the best of them after all.


	5. George

George was the calmer of the twins though you wouldn't know it. Often, he had to hold Fred back from doing something crazy like breaking into Gringotts. As much as he loved his brother, there were times where he rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation; probably much like everyone else did in response to the both of them.

George still adored his twin and rarely was ever seen without him. They were two sides to the same coin. While Fred was more outspoken and spontaneous, George planned better, made Fred's ideas a reality, and kept their jokes witty and funny.

As crazy as it sounds, George always wanted a family of his own besides just Fred. While most of Fred's jokes were just for laughs, George's usually had some sort of meaning behind them. It was his idea to set off the dungbomb under Aunt Muriel's chair after she made a derogatory comment about how Mum decided to raise them; it was George's idea to sneak a toilet seat into Harry's hospital room hoping to lift his spirits; and while Fred also hated Umbridge, George especially put his best efforts into their pranks that year to humiliate the toad. He wanted the chance to take care of his own family one day, and be there for his kids and wife. He wanted to make them smile when they were down and fix everything so that they could jump right back into life when they pulled themselves up.

When the battle of Hogwarts was over, George felt the huge, gaping, empty, hole that was Fred. His other half, his best friend, the person he'd spent every day of his life with, was gone. At first, he was numb. Nothing seemed to break through the unfeeling and he almost refused to believe that Fred was gone. He found himself turning to say something to his other half part way into a family meal and found only emptiness. At one point he remembered just sitting on his bed staring at the wall of their old room at the Burrow. He didn't know how long he had been there until Ron stepped in and forced him to eat the toast he'd brought up from the kitchen. The toast turned to ash in his mouth and it was an effort for him to swallow when his throat felt so dry.

Slowly things began to break through his haze. Glimmers of ginger broke up his catatonic state. He saw Percy gripping his hands begging him for forgiveness as tears streaked down his face. He saw Ginny come in and cuddle into his lap like she used to, her sobs a silent plea for comfort. Bill came in at one point and just sat with him. Charlie brought with him a small ginger tabby cat that constantly curled up to George and purred. Molly and Arthur came in together. Molly gathered him up in her arms and sobbed for the other son she lost against his hair, and Arthur just stood with a hand on their shoulders. His silent tears a quiet support for both of his family members.

The one constant that never seemed to leave was Ron. There were times where he wasn't there, but Ron somehow always broke through the fog. He would turn on the shower and push George towards the bathroom without saying a word. When George had emerged from the steam, there was always a fresh set of clothes waiting for him on the counter by the sink. Ron at first started leaving food at the door of the room, and seeing them untouched, would come in and force George to eat with his unrelenting stare and nothing more. At one point, Ron pushed a razor into George's hand and forced him to shave the almost full beard that had grown in George's numb state.

Slowly things started to get better in a way. One night when Ron came in he brought kidney stew, one of Fred's favorites. It was as he slowly shoveled mechanically the lukewarm broth into his mouth that George cried for the first time. The gut wrenching sobs tore through him as unforgiving as a hurricane. His chest burned from the lack of air and his heart throbbed against his ribcage begging for release and reprieve. His eyes grew so swollen he could barely see. Vaguely he remembers someone taking the stew gently from his hands, softly removing his shoes from his feet, pushing him down to a laying position on the bed, and covering him with the covers. When George woke, his eyes puffy and bloodshot, there was a full glass of water on his bedside table, a headache potion, and a box of tissues.

Everything came flooding back and the tears came again. And again. And again. It seemed there was a never-ending supply of them. Still Ron came and continued to push him into the warm shower, continued to make him eat, and continued to force him into clean clothes.

When the tears finally dried, when there was no more moisture or energy to start the cry up again, George found himself again staring at the same blank wall. He grabbed a sheet of parchment and a quill from the trunk at the base of the bed from his Hogwarts days and began to write.

Dear Forge,

You utter prick. First, I lose an ear and now I lose you. You complete bastard. How do you expect me to run the shop? You're ever so much better with customers than I am now or ever will be. What am I supposed to tell Lee? What happened to the plan? We were supposed to find French girls together equally as great as ourselves, have a joint wedding where all the center pieces turned into doves when you touched them, move into a giant house together with our wives, have a couple of kids, run the shop, and leave everything to Lee. I don't know how to do this without you. You're the creative genius behind the Skivving Snackboxes and what did I come up with. The Pygmy Puffs and the Day Dream charm? I…I need you Fred…more than you ever know.

Gred

It wasn't the only note he wrote. George continued to write thousands of letters until the room was filled with stacks of them piled up against walls, some scattered on the floor, under his bed, folded up in tiny squares, and some were crumbled in anger and thrown at the wall. Somehow the supply of parchment never ceased. It kept going until a final letter.

Forge,

You're dead and I'm not. Somehow…I guess I've got to do something with that. Merlin knows what shape the shops in. I don't even know how long it's been since I've set foot in there. I don't know if I can do it right now, but I know I have to. I know you've been yelling at me from the afterlife to get off my arse and get moving, but I wasn't ready. I figure I'm still not ready, but I don't know if I'll ever be ready. I've got to move.

Gred

When Ron walked in the next morning with the normal breakfast of toast and porridge, George met him at the door clean shaven for the first time in weeks, fresh clothes, and his hair still damp from a shower. The shocked look on Ron's face only lasted a second before he schooled himself and calmly waited for George to say something.

"I need to go to the shop today." The words were raspy and broken his voice used to weeks of silence.

"Ok." Ron said with a soft understanding smile, a shadow of the five-year-old grin George remembered from Ron's first Cannon's Game live.

Together they made the trip down to Diagon Ally by floo. When George stepped out of the fireplace of the Leaky Caldron he could feel the stares from the customers. In comparison to the rest of the wizarding world, few had fought at the Battle of Hogwarts and, per Harry's request, no one really gave any interviews regarding it. No juicy details were revealed to Rita Skeeter or any other reporter from the Daily Prophet. All that was published was a list of the dead and bare details of Harry's fight with Voldemort. George honestly doubted if even Ron and Hermione knew the whole story of the prophesized showdown. He realized he probably looked like a ghost to those having a drink at the bar as much as a hero.

He put his head down and hunched his shoulders. Without looking higher than necessary, he marched to the brick wall in the back barely noticing Ron's soft footfalls behind him.

Walking into Diagon Ally was enough to make George start to tear up and feel the urge to crawl back to his bed at the Burrow under his covers. It's hard to remember a time in Diagon Ally when Fred wasn't with him. A hand on his shoulder reminds him to keep moving. Hunching down further, George continued his trip down the familiar streets trying not to look at that park bench that they managed to stick Percy to by his left ear for an hour; trying not to notice Mr. Fortescue and remember the generous donation he made to their store when it first opened; trying not to look at Madam Pimpernelle who banned them from her shop after they snuck green dye into her sample products. His vision is so blurred by the time that they get to the familiar store front that he can't even read the words written on the door.

Meanwhile the hand on his shoulder never left. Instead of stopping at the front door, Ron steered George towards an ally nearby the shop. It was towards the secret passage he had insisted on building for an emergency escape during the war. It led to a bunker where they had held Potterwatch. Fred leaned his head up against the wall of the shop his back to Ron as he tried to pull himself together.

"You don't have to go in. You've already done a lot coming here at all today." Ron said softly. There was a long pause before George could even reply; his words punctuated by sobs.

"I…I can't just _not_ go Ron. Merlin knows how long it's been since I've set foot in the shop. Everything's probably in ruins. And…and Fred would be so upset that I've…I've thrown our dream away. Our whole career is finished…because…because I allowed us to get separated….I…I let him _die_. And…and now I'm too weak to even carry on his legacy? I'm the worst brother in the world if I can't manage to step inside today." Ron grabbed his arm and forced George to face him. George's face was covered in angry red blotches from furious scrubbing at escaped tears, his eyes were bloodshot again, and his hair mussed from his hands compulsively running through it.

"You are _not_ a failure. Fred loved you and would never fault you for what's been going on lately. I doubt he would've fared much better. Wherever Fred is, he's probably trying to prank someone and missing his perfect partner in crime. You're the best brother anyone could possibly hope for. Give yourself time." George sniffed.

"I…I still need to go in. I need to see everything…" he said not meeting Ron's eyes. Ron looked hard at his older brother. Then with a sigh of resignation and hoping that he wouldn't regret what he was about to do, he put his arm around George's shoulders and steered him out of the ally.

"Ok...just…don't try too hard to be strong. We can leave whenever." Together they made their way back to the front of the shop where the bright orange and purple sign spouted rude comments to customers on their way into the store and the giant statue of the brothers raised its top hat. George was confused for a minute because everything seemed so normal. The store was busy as ever though he knew he hadn't done anything to help with the fact the past two months. He could hear kids' laughter from the trick wands and the coos from small girls admiring the Pygmy Puffs. He noticed a girl with her hair standing straight up and the drawing of a mustache and glasses around her face. _She must have tried to steal something_ , George thought in passing. Fred had always believed the best way to fight theft was to steal everything back before the thief could leave the store. Over in the corner, the suggestion box was overflowing with notes some folded, some not.

The most surprising thing to George though, was the figure standing at one of the many cash registers scattered throughout the store. Percy was quickly completing a sale of Twilight Moonbeams to a group of teenage girls probably younger than Ginny. Feeling eyes on him Percy looked up meeting George's surprised eyes. Hastening over to where he and Ron stood, Percy took stock of the situation.

"Ron! You didn't tell me he was coming today." Percy admonished.

"I didn't know either until this morning."

"Well come on then! I want to show you the figures and everything." Percy said grabbing George's hand. Dragging him over to the front of the store, he excitedly regaled everything going on. He talked about what George had missed, the sales, the numbers, and how Ron had just been so much help around the place. Meanwhile, almost absentmindedly, Percy continued to help guests around the building with comments like "Remember don't set those off near your eyes!" to the group of boys surrounding the sample Exploding Whizz Poppers, and "The gift bags come with skivving snack boxes and Ten-Second Pimple Vanisher. It's not just for girls you know. Even men need skin care!" At some point George remembers Percy shooing Ron off to help out around the store so Verity could take a break. They reached a spot that was a tad quieter and Percy finally turned back to the bewildered George.

"I just want you to realize. All of this was Ron's idea. He didn't want you to know, but I won't take credit for this. I'm just doing the best I can to help out around here until you can get back on your feet."

"It…it was Ron's idea?" George asked. Ron was never one to participate in pranks even though he didn't much care for rules. George had personally always thought that Ron didn't really care about the store at all and only came over with because they were family.

"Well, we were closed for a couple of weeks. When things were looking down though," Percy skirted around the elephant in the room with a quick glance at George, "we decided we had to open back up again. Bill and Hermione at first before they had to both go off to Hogwarts again. Hermione's repeating a year and Bill's the new defense professor, so he could stay close to home. They're the ones that managed to break through all your clever tricks and pranks though one got Hermione before Bill could interfere. Her teeth are still a little pink if you look closely enough. Anyways, we opened back up for you and have been running it ever since. I'm not going anywhere for a while George. It's not like the Ministry is going to take me back after the positions I've held and the role I played in all of this. You don't have to come back right now. You don't need to feel rushed. We got this, I promise, even if Ron can never show up on time…" Percy continued to rattle off.

It dawned on George then that Ron always appeared at the exact same times of the day. Breakfast was always brought to the room around 7:30 where George would move the food around until reluctantly eating and finishing around 8:15. Then Ron would pop up again around noon with some sort of sandwich where he'd push George into the bathroom for a shower. Always, without fail, Ron would pop up again at 6:30 with a plate of dinner, or ready to drag him down the stairs to join the family for dinner. Putting two and two together, George realized that Ron had managed to take care of both him and the store by putting Percy in charge of organization, and stepping in to help out as a regular employee.

"…and don't worry about paying us either. We can figure something out later if you want to. Just know we're still here George, and we miss him too." Percy finally finished making eye contact with George placing his hands on his shoulders.

"I…I don't think I'm ready to come back yet Percy but…I can't…I can't thank you enough for everything."

"You should be thanking Ron. Despite his terrible sense of time, he's the one that figured out your booking system, schedule, and the odd way you manipulate this business. I swear you should see his plan of attack everyday for the crowds that come, it's brilliant!"

"Yeah…yeah I'll talk to him later." George said a little dazed. At that moment though, chaos erupted over in the Pygmy Puff section. Some of them had gotten loose and were wandering all over the floor of the store. Percy rushed over to take care of the situation and George was left on his own staring at his life's work. He saw Ron selling the defense objects to several wizards and found himself in awe of his younger brother. Somehow Ron seemed to embody the father role that George had always longed to fill. Ron managed to take care of him in all his grief, run the shop, get Percy involved and focused, and still have time for Hermione at the end of the day. Almost nervous, he approached Ron and watched him finish closing the deal with the wizards.

"Alright, your total today is going to be thirty gallons, fourteen sickles, and two knuts. You gentleman have a wonderful day now." Ron smiled at the men as they picked up their new shield cloaks and made their way out of the store. Noticing George, he turned to acknowledge his older brother. "Do you need to go home now." He asked gently. Wordlessly George nodded. Signaling to Percy across the room, Ron made his way towards the door of the shop and out to the street. Together they apparated back to the Burrow straight into George's room. Sitting on the edge of the bed, George looked at Ron with new eyes.

"Thank you." He managed.

"It was nothing George really." Ron replied almost brushing it off.

"It wasn't nothing Ron and you know it. How…I…I don't even know how I'll repay you for all of this. You've been taking care of me for so long and this whole time you've been watching the shop too?"

"Well Percy's mostly been doing that. I don't even really show up on time." Ron cut in. George ignored him.

"Ron…you're…you're the best you know? You knew exactly what I needed." George said finally looking up at his younger brother who was fidgeting in the middle of the room.

"Yeah well, you're a sight better than Harry was…is…it's complicated…" Ron trailed off. "Just…don't forget that the rest of us are here George, and we all love you too." Ron sniffed holding back his own tears.

"I know…I know and I'm…I'm trying Ron. I'll get there eventually." George managed to get out looking away.

"It's ok. Take as much time as you need. I promise we've got everything under control. I'll see you later for dinner yeah?"

"Yeah. We have family dinner tonight?" George asked. Ron looked surprised for a second. "I got a look at the Prophet while we were in the store. It's Sunday isn't it?"

"Yeah. It is, family dinner tonight." Ron said.

"I'll come down this time without prompting." George said with the barest hint of a grin on his tired face.

"Get some rest George. I'll see you in a bit." And with one more sympathetic look, Ron apparated back to the shop.

George once again found himself staring at the white wall of his room. This time though, Fred didn't completely overshadow his thoughts. Instead he contemplated his younger brother Ron. It was almost easy to overlook him if you didn't know him, yet Ron has helped so many people. If what Ron hinted at was true about Harry, George wondered if Harry would've ever been able to defeat Voldemort without Ron picking up the pieces along the way; just like how he picked up George's pieces, shattered as they were.

It was incredible that right under his nose, Ron had managed to complete both of Fred and George's goals. Sure, their collective dream was to open the store, but they were still different people no matter how much they looked alike. George had always wanted a family of his own one day to father and Fred…well he had always wanted to break into Gringotts. George swears he overheard something about Ron, Hermione, and Harry sneaking into Gringotts and being the only successful wizards to get out of it alive. Though he knew Ron suffered from low self esteem all through Hogwarts, George wished his brother could see himself from an outside perspective. Maybe then he would see how he was truly the best of all of them.


	6. Harry

By the time Harry was eleven years old he was used to being resourceful and looking after himself. The Dursley's never did much to care for him and if he hadn't learned, his situation probably would've been much worse than it was. Still, it was daunting to get dropped off at King's Cross Station with nothing but the Wizarding money in his pocket, his trunk, and Hedwig. If it hadn't been for the trunk and Hedwig, Harry wasn't sure he would believe that everything with Hagrid and the magical world had happened. It seemed more like a dream; the fact that his parents had been war heroes, and that he was somehow special and celebrated in a world that he had never been a part of. Standing in the middle of the station clutching his Hogwart's letter tightly in his hand, Harry struggled not to panic.

 _If I don't find Platform 9 and three quarters, I guess I'll just have to go back to the Dursleys_. Harry thought with despair. As it was, he figured he'd have to walk from King's Station back to Surrey, and he wasn't quite sure he even knew the way. If he called, he doubted the Dursleys would come and pick him up. It was hard enough for him to get a ride _to_ the station let alone get a right home. No, he'd have to walk, and he doubted they'd allow Hedwig to stay with them. Tears started to gather in his eyes and he tried to blink them away the best that he could until he was distracted by the weirdest commotion he'd ever seen.

"Now what's the platform number?" a plump red headed women called to the brood of gingers that followed her.

"Nine and three-quarters!" piped the only other girl in the group. And the commotion continued with one of the boys dropping his belongings on the ground, two that looked identical seemed to be planning something, and the last, most important looking boy, seemed to be trying to help his mother out though the younger ones seemed to listen to him less than they did to the mum.

"All right Percy, you go first." The woman said above the hustle and bustle. The boy that had looked the most important quickly pushed his belongings toward the barrier separating platforms nine and ten. Unfortunately, a crowd walked in front of Harry, so he couldn't see what happened to the boy. Once the crowd disappeared the boy was gone. Two more of the brood followed and bewildered, Harry realized that here was someone who could finally help him out.

"Excuse me," he said grabbing the woman's attention. Looking distractedly at him she smiled.

"Hello dear, first time at Hogwarts? Ron's new too." She said pointing towards the only boy left of the group, the one who had dropped some of his belongings.

"Yes. The thing is – the thing is, I don't know how to—"

"How to get onto the platform?" The woman said kindly and Harry nodded. "Not to worry. All you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Don't stop and don't be scared you'll crash into it, that's very important. Best do it at a bit of a run if you're nervous. Go on, go now before Ron." And giving him a gentle push towards the barrier, she turned back to her son.

Feeling a bit more confident but still worried at the look of the sturdy brick of the barrier, Harry took the woman's advice and started running. He was going fast enough now that he couldn't stop in time if he wanted, the cart was carrying him. Hedwig gave an indignant squawk at the pace. Harry closed his eyes almost sure that he would hit a solid barrier and his stuff would go everywhere but the impact never came. Slowly he opened his eyes in wonder. A large steam engine stood in front of him with a sign that said Hogwarts Express, eleven o'clock. With a sigh of relief, he headed toward the train and boarded. Once he was all settled with the help from the red headed twins, he sat down close to the window and peaked out, watching the same red headed family on the platform.

It was a sight he had never really experienced before. Though the youngest tried to wiggle out of the woman's embrace, the older ones took it in stride. Harry wondered what it was like to have a family like that. No one had come to see him off. It was a miracle he had been able to even get a ride to the station in the first place. Deep inside, a longing tugged at his heart for something he had never known. A family. Shaking himself he watched as the boys clambered on the train yelling something about a toilet seat to the young girl who started running alongside the train waving as the mother stood teary-eyed watching. Harry settled back in and a thrill of excitement shot through him. Maybe he didn't have a family, and he didn't know what he was going to, but he expected that it had to be better than what he left behind.

The door of the compartment slid open and the youngest redheaded boy came in.

"Anyone sitting there?" he asked, pointing at the seat opposite of Harry. "Everywhere else is full." Harry shook his head and watched as Ron awkwardly sat down across from him. The twins burst in again mentioning something about a Lee Jordan and a spider. They took the time to introduce themselves and Ron to Harry, and then they were off again.

The conversation was stilted most of the way to Hogwarts, but Harry was just happy that someone was giving him the light of day unused to any attention from other students. Dudley had always chased away the other kids in the class and spread nasty rumors that even the bravest of kids couldn't ignore.

Eventually Ron seemed to warm up and was quick to reassure Harry taking pride in his knowledge of the wizarding world, Ron regaled Harry with tales about his family, and was quick to answer any tentative questions Harry had about Hogwarts that Hagrid hadn't answered. Harry was nervous about his past experiences with the other kids at school, but he couldn't crush the persistent blossom of hope that maybe, Ron would want to be his friend.

Throughout his years at Hogwarts, Harry never forgot that first conversation and still thanked Merlin that every other compartment in the train had been filled. Though they had rough patches, Ron was always there. Even when they argued, Ron always considered himself Harry's friend. He welcomed Harry into the family without a second thought. Harry received his first Christmas presents from the Weasleys and felt home for the first time when he stayed at the Burrow before the beginning of their second year. Ron even followed Harry to auror training after Hogwarts though Harry could tell that Ron was happiest working behind the scenes at the Joke shop, coming up with new strategies to attract customers.

It was several years after the war that Harry finally worked up the courage to thank Ron. It wasn't planned. Like always, Harry had been invited to the Burrow to spend Christmas with the Weasleys. Ginny and Hermione had already gone up to bed with the rest of the redheads, and Harry and Ron were sitting down at the table finishing off their tea. Because of the crazy auror schedule, neither of them fell asleep easily before midnight. Sipping his tea, Harry broke the comfortable silence.

"I've never thanked you." Harry said blushing, staring into his mug. Surprised Ron looked up.

"Thanked me for what? For saving your arse from the extra paperwork Kingsley wanted you to fill out after the last raid?" Ron said laughing. "Trust me mate I got your back. I've always had your back."

"That's not it, well I mean it's part of it…I mean—" Harry stuttered. Ron waited with kind eyes. He was used to Harry and Harry had never been stellar with words. "I just…you're right. You've always had my back Ron and I couldn't imagine my life without you in it. I was so…well you know the Dursleys. I didn't have anyone and you…you adopted me into your family and…I just wanted to thank you."

Ron blushed as well. To be honest, he had never truly thought about it. He remembered seeing Harry on the train so long ago with clothes way too big for him that had to be hand-me-downs and thought that maybe this was a kid who would understand. Then he had turned out to be Harry freaking Potter and Ron had been amazed. Somehow his childhood hero was actually a lot like him. The only thought that had run through his head was _I have to take care of him_. And that was what he had done. Reaching out he placed his hand on Harry's shoulder.

"You don't need to thank me. We're mates. Always have been, always will be." With a smile Ron finished up his mug and with a stretch and a yawn said, "I'm headed up. Goodnight mate."

Harry watched as Ron made his way up the stairs to his room and smiled. Shaking his head quietly laughing to himself, marveling at Ron's nonchalance. From the very first moment, Ron had shared everything he had with Harry, most importantly his family. Harry couldn't help thinking that though he loved all the other Weasley brothers, and their acceptance of him into their family, Ron was truly the best brother he could have ever asked for.


End file.
